1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a test apparatus and an electronic device. Particularly, the present invention relates to a test apparatus that tests a device under test and an electronic device including a test circuit.
2. Related Art
Generally, there may be a case that a test pattern having a predetermined logic pattern is generated and inputted to a device under test in order to test the device under test such as a semiconductor circuit. For example, a test to determine whether the device under test normally operates can be performed by writing a predetermined logic value to a memory region in the device under test and reading the written logic pattern.
A pattern generating section that generates a test pattern based on pattern data and sequence data has been known. The pattern generating section sequentially reads the pattern data and the sequence data stored in the main memory and stores the same in the cache memory.
Here, the following documents have been known as the related art documents of the pattern generating section:
1. International Publication (WO) 2004/109307 brochure
2. International Publication (WO) 1998/23968 brochure
3. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-94724
4. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-78476
The main memory previously stores therein the pattern data and the sequence data set by such as a user before testing a device under test. Data is written to the main memory in units of word having a predetermined bit length. In addition, the data is read from the main memory in units of word. One word includes one instruction data of the sequence data or one pattern of the pattern data. However, it is not necessarily the case that the bit length of the instruction data or the pattern is corresponding to the bit length of a word.
Therefore, there may be an unused bit in each word. Since the main memory stores therein data in units of word, the availability ratio of the main memory could be reduced if there is any unused portion in the storage area thereof. In addition, since the main memory transfers the data in units of word thereby the unused bit included in each word is also transferred, so that the efficiency of transferring data could be reduced.